Today I am grateful to take a pause. Yes, I have some food that could be prepped today. I also still have a few more gifts to wrap. And then there’s the perfunctory fretting that is so necessary at this time of year. “Will they like what I got them?” “Did I get enough?” “Did I get too much?” “Did I get too creative?” Not creative enough? You know the drill. I’ve heard your brains going a mile a minute at 3:30 a.m., at the same time mine is.

So what did I accomplish today? I colored. Almost all afternoon. Why? Because one of my friends found a coloring book that she couldn’t resist getting for me, because it speaks to all of those little things that annoy me and then I share with you.

Himself saw it on the counter last night and sat to read the entire thing. I could hear his laughter from the other room. Talk about the best sound of the season! So today when I got done at the Y, I picked it up and laughed, too. Some of the pics are a riot. The book shelf that broke; the blender that shot the stuff all over; the busted grocery bag with your food all over the parking lot; the 30 remote controls; the cat on your face, you get the picture. My life! And yours, I’m sure.

Today I colored the tangled cords. These are probably not Christmas lights, but I swear that tangled cords are as much a part of our Christmas as ornaments and tissue paper.

With the old movie, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” playing on the TV, the music of George M. Cohan and the fantastic tap dancing of James Cagney, I colored the afternoon away, whether I had time or not.

About halfway through Himself walks into the room to watch a little Cagney steppin’ and I ask him to take a picture with my phone, of me coloring. Oh boy. I instruct him as to what I want in the picture. He holds the phone up and I ask what that flip-click-flip-click-flip-click-flip-click-flip-click sound is?

Me: Are you taking a picture now?

Himself: No, I’m waiting for you to figure out what you want.

Me: Just a picture of me relaxing and coloring with the box of markers in it. What is that flip-clicking sound?

Himself: What sound? I don’t hear anything.

Me: I think you’re taking a picture.

Himself: I’m NOT taking a picture yet! It’s too dark anyway.

Me: I think you are.

Himself: I’m NOT and if you don’t shut up I’m not taking any pictures at all.

Me: It’s still making that noise.

Himself: I DO NOT HEAR IT! Do you want a picture or not?

Me: Yes, but I wanted to look relaxed and peaceful and now I don’t feel that way at all!

Himself: Just shut up so I can take the picture and go play computer games.

Ah the euphoria of true love. I finally got done deleting the 100 pictures he took, that looked like an animated film, one frame at a time. Yes, his finger was on the button. I’m loading the keepers in the order they were taken, just for a hoot. When you look at that last pic, of me “relaxed” that I originally requested, you will know what a fine actress I am.

I hope the pause you take lasts longer than mine did and is more rewarding. BING! Heartprint!